Navigating the World of Editors: The Good, the Bad, and the Unreliable

I've had my fair share of unreliable editors over the years, so when you find one you can trust, make sure to hold on to them.

I've worked with editors who got a little too excited over my sex scenes, leaving comments like 'I'm hard' in the margins. Then there were those who clearly didn’t read the manuscript properly, missing details like a character who starts with blue eyes in the opening chapter but somehow ends up with brown eyes by the end.

More recently, I've been dealing with an editor who keeps moving the deadline. First, she was ill. Then, she had internet problems. After that, she claimed she never received my email. At this point, the next excuse might as well be that aliens landed in her back garden! I’ve received a partial refund because she returned the first pass of edits, but now she’s hesitant to send me the second pass after I’ve gone through her corrections.

I’ve also had an editor I had to let go because of her health issues. She couldn’t finish my series, but she refunded me in full, and we’re still in touch through emails. Ill health is something no one can control, but I can certainly spot the difference between genuine issues and a disorganised or dodgy editor.

My current editor is my guardian angel, Vanessa von Mollendorf. I used her on Hunted by Louise Wise, and now she’s taken over where the ill/internet issues/not received emails/aliens editor failed on the Jelvia: Not Human series by T. E. Kessler.

Jelvia: Not Human - a sci-fi 'with heat' by T E Kessler.

Check out all books here.

EDITING – SELF OR OTHERWISE

by

Larry Ivkovich

Editing one’s work, whether it’s for flash fiction, a short story, a novella, or a novel, can be frustrating and time-consuming. But, it’s a necessary evil for all those who want to get their work as polished and professional as possible. And, oftentimes, a much better story will be the result of it.

During my thirty years of serious fiction writing and my tenures in a number of writing/critique groups, an old discussion often comes up. It’s one which I believe has no really right answer although the two schools of thought often clash. That is, should a writer finish whatever he or she is writing and edit afterwards or self-edit as he or she writes?

It seems most writers I talk to and most writing “how-tos” I’ve read favor the former--edit after completing the work. I subscribe to the latter--I edit while I’m writing. The advice I give to beginning writers is to do whatever is comfortable and natural for them. Everyone’s different and has different methods and styles of working. There’s really no right or wrong way to self-edit.

I’ve tried to finish a work and then go back and edit but I just can’t do it. It’s not that I’m compulsive about it or a Type A personality in that regard. I just like to play with what I’ve written previously, to try and improve it or completely change it based on ideas I come up with after I’ve finished writing a particular passage. I don’t outline but I do take notes and jot things down when I think of them but it’s just more fun for me to try an idea out on what I’ve written right away. Writer and editor Anne Lesley Groell remarked at a writers’ conference I attended that this was how she also worked on her writing. So I feel like I’m in good company!

Of course, this is more involved than just line-editing although that, too, is important. Spellcheck and grammar-check are good tools in your word processing software but aren’t always completely successful. My wife told me a story about an old boss of hers who was looking for another job. His office assistant typed up his resume for him on her PC and ran the spellcheck. Now, sometimes, you can misspell a word into a different word that’s completely legitimate. This particular incident happened in the eighties where a style of resume writing allowed you to put down what you did in your spare time. My wife’s boss told his assistant to put down “white water rafting,” as a hobby, which he’d done only once or twice. The assistant transposed the “r” and “f” in the word “rafting,” which the spell check didn’t catch because “farting” is a real word. Well, needless to say, the guy didn’t get the job! But everyone in my wife’s office, after hearing about this through the grapevine, had a good laugh.

So, it’s important for someone else to take a look at your work, whether that person is a professional editor or a fellow writer or a friend. A fresh set of eyes always helps. This is where a writing/critique group comes in handy or someone you trust to be honest with you about the work.

Still--mistakes can happen. An example from my début novel, THE SIXTH PRECEPT, is a pretty glaring one. Despite my own editing and that of my publisher’s editor, we both let a few misspelled words and phrases slip through the cracks, which I discovered after the book had come out. One of my characters is talking about “cruisin’ the Wet.” Say what? It should have been “cruisin’ the net (small case also)”. I still don’t know how that one got by. The mistakes have been corrected in subsequent printings and downloads but it was pretty embarrassing.

One thing that’s helpful to do (whether you self-edit while you write or after) is to put the story, book, article aside for a couple of months (depending on your submission deadline, if any) and then come back to it after you’ve gained some distance. It’s easier to pick out mistakes in both line-editing, plot, structure, etc. once you’re not so close to it.

I recently heard a story of an author who had left the small publishing company who had published his first book because he didn’t like to be edited. That’s a pretty extreme and, ultimately, self-defeating reaction. Writers have to develop a thick skin and be prepared to take criticism. Such comments, no matter how much you may disagree with them, will help your work to become that much better (although, if you feel very strongly the proffered advice isn’t right, then it’s absolutely your prerogative to ignore it). Though writing is often referred to as a “solitary profession,” working with other writers and editors can be a very positive experience and one necessary for future growth.

So, edit yourself any way you want! It’s important but remember you may not catch everything that can drag your work down. Trust in yourself but also in other people to help you in bringing your creative vision to life.

Is your ms missing that, er, pear tree?

by

John Hudspith

On the first day of writing my true muse sent to me

– a partridge but NO pear tree

  

On the second day of writing my true muse sent to me

– two purple loves,

and a partridge but NO pear tree

On the third day of writing my true muse sent to me

- three gaping plot holes,

two purple loves,

and a partridge but NO pear tree

On the fourth day of writing my true muse sent to me

- four bad reviews,

three gaping plot holes,

two purple loves,

and a partridge but NO pear tree

On the fifth day of writing my true muse sent to me

- five go-lden clichés-

four bad reviews,

three gaping plot holes,

two purple loves,

and a partridge but NO pear tree

On the sixth day of writing my true muse sent to me

- six characters a-waffling,

- five go-lden clichés -

four bad reviews,

three gaping plot holes,

two purple loves,

and a partridge but NO pear tree

On the seventh day of writing my true muse sent to me

- seven sentences a-swimming (with distressingly unnecessary over-writing),

six characters a-waffling,

- five go-lden clichés -

four bad reviews,

three gaping plot holes,

two purple loves,

and a partridge but NO pear tree

On the eighth day of writing my true muse sent to me

- eight aunts a-milking it,

seven sentences a-swimming (with distressingly unnecessary over-writing),

six characters a-waffling,

- five go-lden clichés -

four bad reviews,

three gaping plot holes,

two purple loves,

and a partridge but NO pear tree

On the ninth day of writing my true muse sent to me

- nine adjectives dancing,

eight aunts a-milking it,

seven sentences a-swimming (with distressingly unnecessary over-writing),

six characters a-waffling,

- five go-lden clichés -

four bad reviews,

three gaping plot holes,

two purple loves,

and a partridge but NO pear tree

On the tenth day of writing my true muse sent to me

- ten wrong words a-leaping (from the page),

nine adjectives dancing,

eight aunts a-milking it,

seven sentences a-swimming (with distressingly unnecessary over-writing),

six characters a-waffling,

- five go-lden clichés -

four bad reviews,

three gaping plot holes,

two purple loves,

and a partridge but NO pear tree

On the eleventh day of writing my true muse sent to me

- eleven readers griping,

ten wrong words a-leaping (from the page),

nine adjectives dancing,

eight aunts a-milking it,

seven sentences a-swimming (with distressingly unnecessary over-writing),

six characters a-waffling,

- five go-lden clichés -

four bad reviews,

three gaping plot holes,

two purple loves,

and a partridge but NO pear tree

On the twelfth day of writing my true muse sent to me

twelve blasted rewrites,

eleven readers griping,

ten wrong words a-leaping (from the page),

nine adjectives dancing,

eight aunts a-milking it,

seven sentences a-swimming (with distressingly unnecessary over-writing),

six characters a-waffling,

- five go-lden clichés -

four bad reviews,

three gaping plot holes,

two purple loves,

and a partridge but NO pear tree

~}~

Need an editor?

Do you need an editor for your manuscript? Wendy Ely is experienced and edits full-time. Her rate is $1.25 per page (double spaced). Click HERE to see what her clients are saying.

Here is what she can offer to her clients:

Story Structure:

1. The flow of the story.
2. Plot strengths, weaknesses, and inconsistencies.
3. Point of view, tone, and voice flow.
4. Character development.
5. Dialogue.

Line Editing:

1. Line by line editing for typos and grammatical errors.
2. Page by page revision recommendations when applicable.
3. Phone, email, or online chat time for brainstorming your manuscript.
4. A second read-through to go over "problem areas" of the manuscript with no extra charge.

Email: creativemanuscripts@gmail.com

Blog: http://creativemanuscripts.blogspot.com/